Latvian beach volleyball players won gold, but some were not satisfied with their outfit 0 13

Along with the general joy and excitement over this event, there were, of course, those whose thoughts and feelings went in a different direction — for example, towards analyzing the clothing that women wear while playing beach volleyball.

A fairly broad discussion on this topic erupted on the Threads platform. The initiator wrote: "At first, I didn’t understand why women in underwear were standing next to men. Then it dawned on me — these are athletes in 'sportswear'... Why aren’t women allowed to dress normally? If it were so convenient to play in underwear, men would also be running around in just their underwear."

One commenter noted: "Stop dramatizing! Depending on the weather conditions, different clothing is chosen." He attached photos showing volleyball players dressed in leggings and shorts.

Solvita also considers this topic pointless: "What’s the problem? What’s wrong with the outfit — it’s a sport, it’s their gear. Have you ever seen figure skaters or swimmers go change??? Sports is not an 'Oscar' ceremony. Let’s learn to rejoice, not nitpick at what’s not there."

Uldis knows that the option to choose the outfit exists: "For two seasons now, women have been allowed to play in more covered clothing, and some teams do indeed compete in shorts. However, most still prefer beautiful swimsuits."

Baiba noted that the country represented by the athlete also plays a role: "At one point (not at this championship), representatives of an Arab country played in hijabs and long pants."

Many observers point out that there is still no equality in equipment and agree with the dissatisfaction of the discussion's author:

"Why are men, interestingly, in shorts and not in underwear? Men also have short swim trunks."

"I agree here. It’s even unpleasant to watch. P.S. Well, it looks good, of course + the main thing is that they like it, but… Aesthetically, and ethically — it’s not right."

"And I find such an outfit discriminatory towards women.. :("

In this context, one legal precedent is interesting. In 2021, the media reported that in women’s beach handball, there would no longer be a mandatory requirement to play in bikinis — after a wide wave of criticism, the International Handball Federation allowed wearing short tight shorts and a tight top. The changes took effect in January 2022 and were the result of a protest by the Norwegian team, which was fined for refusing to comply with the "bikini rule."

The decision is considered a step towards gender equality in sports. Although the requirements for men and women still differ, female athletes were pleased with the opportunity to choose more comfortable outfits. Broad international support, including from sports federations and society, helped achieve the change in rules.